Improvement in car-couplings



J. BRADY. Oar Coupling.

No. 201,644. Patented March 26,1878.

7 Q I R 7,? WITNESSES: I a :1 IJVVEJVTOR:

@ v "%/JWQ N-FEIERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGYON. D C.

UN TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN BRADY, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 20] ,644, dated March26, 1878 application filed February 28, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN BRADY, of Detroit, in the State of Michigan,have invented a new and Improved Oar-Coupling Device; and I herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making partof this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation, showingtwo cars coupled. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the car, showing thelever-connections. Fig. 3 is a plan view of two cars coupled together.Fig. 4 is a detail, to be referred to.

The object of my invention is to provide an automatic car-coupler whichcan be uncoupled by some one standing outside the ends of the cars, soas to be in no danger. If desirable, the cars may be coupled by the samemeans.

My invention consists in two interlocking draw-heads, provided withspring-levers carrying pins to hold the heads together, and the headsbeing provided with wedge-shaped projections for operating the spring-levers.

It also consists in certain details for operating, locking, andunlocking the spring-levers, as hereinafter more fully described andclaimed.

In order that those skilled in the art may make and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A A are two box-cars,

. provided with the usual spring-bumpers, but

carrying on their ends peculiarly-constructed draw-heads B B. Theseheadsare made with central openings, like the common, link-couphers, andare provided on one side with a leg, b, not projecting beyond the faceof the head, and on the other side they are provided with projectingeyes or links at, having a wedgeshaped spur, c, on their lower edges,and the spur has its greatest superficialarea in a plane at right anglesto the plane of links a.

A lever, D, is pivoted at d on the end of the car, and provided with aspring, d, to keep its upper end thrown outward, where it works in aslotted plate, 6, provided with a latch, c, to keep the lever fixed inany dedog, B.

sired position. The lower end of lever D bears a coupling-pin, i, whichpasses through leg 1) across the opening and the body of the draw-head.Below the draw-head proper, 1e ver D has a rounded projection, D,against which, when the cars come together, impinges the wedge-shapedprojection or spur c of link a, and, overcoming the force of spring (1,presses the lever to one side until links a pass into the slots oropenings b between b and the draw-head. The shoulder 1 on spur 0 havingby this time passed beyond the portion 1) of lever D, the spring acts onthe lever, and the coupling-pin 1? is thrown into position through linka. As the links a and slots 1) alternate, each pair of cars is held bytwo links and two pins.

In order to operate my device from the side of the car, I providehand-levers N 0, attached to perpendicular lever D below its pivot, andalso fasten to the side of the car dogs P, which are to be used forlockin g said levers in position through means of notches n in theirupper edges, restraining the operation of the springs 11.

When it is desired to use these draw-heads indiscriminately with theold-fashioned linkcoupling, I prefer to hinge link a and projection orspur c to the edge of the forward por-v tion of the head, and hold it inor out of position, as desired, by means of a rectangular (Seen in Fig.4.) This modification enables the gradual introduction of my improvedcoupler on roads where only a small amount of rolling-stock can bewithdrawn at one time.

By the foregoing description it will be read ily seen that the cars canbe easily coupled or uncoupled without going between their ends, andthat levers D and N O can be locked in a coupled or uncoupled position,as desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- l. The drawhead constructed with the legI) and projecting eyes a, provided with spurs 0, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

2; In combination with a draw-head pro-' and draw-heads constructedasdescribed all vided with the leg b, projecting eyes a, and arranged andoperating substantially as set spurs c, the vertical spring-lever D,bearing forth.

a horizontal coupling-pin and provided with a rounded elongationDJsubstantially as de- 1 JOHN BRADY scribed. Witnesses:

3. Side levers N 0, provided with holding; JOHN MINER,

dogs, in combination with lever 1), spring d, S. MGLAUGHLIN.

